Nichiren was a Buddhist monk (1222-1282) who taught a very popular form of Buddhism, perhaps the only major sect which developed in Japan. It is rigorously critical of non-believers; it seeks to convert the unconverted; it’s values have been compared to those of Protestantism, especially Calvinism; and it is strongly nationalistic. In modern Japan, one sect of Nichiren Buddhism, Soka Gakkai, has been particularly active. It seems to have reached its maximum growth in the 1960s, but is active abroad too. It founded a political party, the Komeito (Clean Government Party), which is now officially separate from the sect.
